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The Quilter’s Toolbox: Tools for Quilting

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I have something fun to share with you today! It’s a brand-new Quilter’s Toolbox. Let me tell you, I didn’t think I’d love it at first but I’ve changed my mind!  Now that I have been using it for a few weeks, it’s a game changer!!

Well of course it’s the perfect companion for quilters, what was I thinking?  It’s designed by a prolific quilter, Jenny of the Missouri Star Quilt Company herself.  Jenny is one of my quilting guru when I first started quilting and she surely still is.

Discount code for Missouri Quilt Co

On the side note before we go into the details of the toolbox : I can’t believe that now I actually get to work with their company Missouri Star Quilt Company! I am an affiliate for MSQC, and they have kindly share this link for all my quilting friends to use to get a 20% off cart for purchases above $50. So if you want to grab some fabrics or notions or patterns –> USE THIS LINK TO GET 20% OFF PURCHASE ABOVE $50. 

Now let’s get back to the quilter’s toolbox.

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In Quilt

Star of Wonder Quilt Along Christmas Quilt Along Week 3

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Hey Quilting Friends!

Here is another progress on the “Star of Wonder,” a mystery quilt along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop. If you’re looking for a fun and creative challenge this July, you should definitely join in!

What is a Mystery Quilt Along

A mystery quilt along is an exciting and fun quilting event where participants make a quilt without knowing the final design in advance. The organizer, in this case, Fat Quarter Shop, releases parts of the quilt pattern in installments, often weekly or monthly. Each installment provides instructions for making a portion of the quilt, like a block or a section of the border.

Quilters follow along, making their pieces as the clues are released, and the mystery gradually unfolds. By the end of the quilt along, participants will have created a beautiful, complete quilt top. It’s a great way to challenge yourself, learn new techniques, and join a community of fellow quilters who are all working on the same project.

Join the Star of Wonder Mystery Quilt Along 

Here’s how it works: gather your supplies and visit the Star of Wonder Supplies page each Tuesday in July. There, you’ll find free mystery patterns and video tutorials to guide you through each step. It’s a great way to learn new techniques and connect with fellow quilters.

To keep up with all the latest updates and see what everyone is creating, follow the hashtags #StarOfWonderQAL and #StarOfWonderSAL on social media.

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Progress Update on a Scrappy Quilt: Ocean Wave Quilt!

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I’ve got some exciting updates on the Scrappy Ocean Wave Quilt! This project is truly a labor of time and love, but I’m thrilled with the progress I’m making, bit by bit. The best part is that I’m not dedicating all my time to it, which keeps the process fun and engaging. I love being able to work on multiple projects simultaneously and still see progress on each one.

I am making this Scrappy Quilt from the half-square triangles unit that I cut using the half-square triangle die I got with my Accuquilt starter kit.

There are affiliate links in this post in which I may make commission from. Find my disclosure here. 

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In Quilt

Star of Wonder Quilt Along Christmas Quilt Along Week 1

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Hey Quilting Friends!

I’ve got something exciting to share with you all – I’m diving into a new project called “Star of Wonder,” a mystery quilt along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop. If you’re looking for a fun and creative challenge this July, you should definitely join in!

What is a Mystery Quilt Along

A mystery quilt along is an exciting and fun quilting event where participants make a quilt without knowing the final design in advance. The organizer, in this case, Fat Quarter Shop, releases parts of the quilt pattern in installments, often weekly or monthly. Each installment provides instructions for making a portion of the quilt, like a block or a section of the border.

Quilters follow along, making their pieces as the clues are released, and the mystery gradually unfolds. By the end of the quilt along, participants will have created a beautiful, complete quilt top. It’s a great way to challenge yourself, learn new techniques, and join a community of fellow quilters who are all working on the same project.

Join the Star of Wonder Mystery Quilt Along 

Here’s how it works: gather your supplies and visit the Star of Wonder Supplies page each Tuesday in July. There, you’ll find free mystery patterns and video tutorials to guide you through each step. It’s a great way to learn new techniques and connect with fellow quilters.

To keep up with all the latest updates and see what everyone is creating, follow the hashtags #StarOfWonderQAL and #StarOfWonderSAL on social media.

My Star of Wonder Quilt –  Christmas Fabrics

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Bobbin Blooms – Spring Quilt

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I’m so excited to share that I just finished my latest quilt top, and it’s super sweet! This one features beautiful tulips made with a lovely, soft color fabric collection. The pattern is called Bobbin Blooms, and it’s an exclusive pattern to the Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop. If you’re not subscribed to the box but want a chance to win the pattern, be sure to check out the “sew with me” video. In the video, I walk you through my process of making this quilt and share some of my favorite piecing tips.

 

You can read more about my review on previous Sew Sampler Box HERE>

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Stitch Up Easy Charm Pack Baby Quilt in No Time

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Fun Animal Print Fabrics

I just had to share my latest project with you all—a charming baby quilt that’s both quick and adorable! I used two charm packs for this one: a solid white and a delightful collection called Alphabet Zoo, which features the cutest little animals. If you’re anything like me, always on the hunt for great precut patterns, this one’s a gem from Missouri Quilt Co. I promise, it’s perfect for those who love to whip up something beautiful in no time.

The fabric was from my haul at Missouri Star Quilt Co a few weeks back. They sponsored this box of fabrics and have generously given a discount link for all my readers to shop at MSQC.   You can shop with this link at MSQC and get a 20% off your cart at checkout!

 

Working with Precuts Charm Squares

Here’s a little tip before you dive in: be mindful of the fact that different fabric manufacturers have slightly different standards for their charm pack sizes. I discovered this the fun way when my Kona solid white charm pack didn’t quite match up perfectly with the Alphabet Zoo charms. Instead of trimming them down (who has the time?), I just centered the pieces as best as I could and sewed away. Sure, some blocks ended up a bit off, but that’s part of the handmade charm, right?

Despite the small size discrepancies, this quilt came together surprisingly quickly. If you’ve made this charm pack quilt before, you could definitely finish this one in an evening. For me, I stretched it out over a few days, piecing it together into a lovely flimsy quilt top during my breaks from work week. Even with limited time, it felt incredibly satisfying to see it all come together.

I just love that there’s a secondary pattern in the quilt too from the mix of four patches and half square triangles units. I really like this pattern and can see that it will be a great quilt pattern for scraps too! I’ll be sure to repeat this quilt again. 

I added a round of solid border to allow the binding to pop away from the quilt centre.

I’ll be using the minky for the backing so now I am off to baste and quilt this quilt! I have also picked the mustard fabric for the binding. This will be a quick one to quilt. I can’t wait to see the finished product, and I’ll be sure to share photos with you all once it’s done.

Next is another baby quilt is the one using the layer cake in the fabric haul above! Do you have a layer cake pattern that you want to suggest? 

 

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Embracing the Scrap Life: From Scraps to Gifts in My Sewing Room

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Welcome back to my little corner of the internet. Today, I’m excited to invite you into my sewing room to talk about something that’s near and dear to my heart: the scrap life.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a stash of fabric scraps that seems to multiply overnight. But fear not, because those seemingly insignificant pieces of fabric hold endless possibilities, waiting to be transformed into beautiful creations. Last year, I had the opportunity to share my love for scraps at the Scrap Summit event. It was such a joy connecting with fellow quilters and discussing our shared passion for making the most out of every last bit of fabric. If you missed it, don’t worry—I’ll be sharing more about the upcoming Scrap Summit in 2024 soon!

Since Summit 2023 has long past, I uploaded the video on my YouTube channel simply to share with you the life of scraps in my sewing room. 

 

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In Completed Projects

Together Quilt Finish: A Heart Quilt

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Finally this quilt is done! I thoroughly enjoyed quilting this one and it didn’t take as long as I thought it would be! Mindset is really key to enjoy the free motion quilting process. By taking regular breaks and limiting my quilting sessions to 20-30 minutes at a time, I found myself fully immersed in the free motion quilting process without feeling overwhelmed or fatigued. And that has surely made a big difference!

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How to do Machine Quilting on a Regular Domestic Home Machine

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While you have the option to hand quilt, machine quilting is my favorite way to finish a quilt. Specifically free motion quilting. Free motion quilting, in particular, opens up a world of possibilities, enabling you to create stunning designs and textures on your quilts. 

Free-motion quilting is a technique where you manually move the fabric under the needle of your sewing machine, rather than relying on the machine’s feed dogs to move the fabric forward. This technique gives you complete control over the direction and movement of your stitches, allowing for endless design possibilities. 

You can free-motion quilt using a domestic sewing machine with the right technique and finish your quilt with various designs. It is possible to quilt even large quilts on your home machine. Finishing your own quilts on your home sewing machine is satisfying and cost-effective. 

You can watch the video tutorial below on how to get started with quilting a large quilt on a home machine, but I also break it all down in the post below:

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Designer Mystery Block of The Month

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I wanted to share with you my start and progress on the 2023 Designer Mystery Block of The Month, and let me tell you, it’s been quite the journey already! I love it so much that I’m weighing heavily on reserving 2024 BOM too. The patterns in these kits are perfect with all the detailed illustrations making it so easy to cut and piece.

Starching Fabric

I must confess, that I had been stalling on starting this project because I had a strong feeling that I wanted to starch my fabric first. While I don’t always take this step, I firmly believe it makes a world of difference in the accuracy of my piecing. But this time, I decided to take things up a notch and try out something new: the electric sprayer. And oh my, what a game-changer it has been!

No longer do I have to endure the discomfort of pressing my fingers until they ache. This sprayer has made the process so incredibly fast and effortless. I even recorded a video to show you just how amazing it is. You can check it out below. I highly recommend giving it a try! You can find similar one HERE>

Now, I used my own handmade starch which I shared earlier HERE>, but if you’re looking for a convenient option, you can easily get a gallon of Mary Ellen’s Best Spray starching spray HERE>. It’s a time-saver and ensures you have plenty on hand for all your projects.

Cutting and Trimming

I was having a hard time with my rotary cutter, after having to do over or even give a little too much pressure, I realised that it was time to change the blade. As soon as I changed it, everything went so smooth that I just want to spend time cutting all the pieces. So if this is a reminder for you to change your blade, do it! It makes a whole lot of difference. I am using Olfa Endurance Blade and my favourite Ergonomic Olfa Cutter. 

I love that the pattern also allows me to trim the units! This allows me to fix anything wonky and allows the units to be more accurate in size. 

Piecing Quilt Blocks

But let’s talk about the real magic here—the making of the quilt blocks. There is something about making quilt blocks that is so satisfying. I love sampler quilts because of this, but here’s the thing, every time I finish a block, I’d say to myself, someday I’ll make a quilt with just this single block! And I almost do that for every single block made this time!

They are all pretty quilt blocks that would surely be gorgeous quilts if repeated over and over. Don’t you think so? 

If only I have all the time to just quilt. Anyway, I love using M3Pro for pressing out the seams of each small unit. The steam coming out from this mini iron is surely amazing. For a tiny iron, it is powerful. However, the water tank for the steam is pretty small, therefore, I do have to keep refilling the water tank. Nonetheless, since I make one quilt block in one sitting, it is just enough and gives the perfect crispy look that I love on quilt blocks.

 

I’ve just pieced the first four blocks, and I am already head over heels in love. The fabrics provided each month by the FQS shop are incredibly generous, just from these 4 blocks I have so much fabric unused yet like in the photo below. I’ve found myself with more than enough leftover fabric, and I’m already dreaming up a second quilt to make with them!

So satisfied with this BOM as with all the customer service FQS provides, I’m contemplating reserving a spot for the 2024 BOM, but I’m undecided about the colors. I am not a big fan of the pink and red. But I might just go ahead!

Are any of you joining any Block of the Month quilt-along this year, or perhaps considering one soon? I’d love to hear all about your quilting adventures and what projects you’re currently working on.

Please feel free to leave a comment below—I can’t wait to hear from you all and share in the excitement of our shared passion for quilting.

Happy stitching!

Links to quilting notions I used or mentioned:

 

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